Fleas....Need Advice

[Tammy]

We rented a pet-friendly town home at the beach. Yesterday, my daughter noticed tiny bugs on a white sheet Ollie had been laying on. Yep, fleas! I am freaking out now. The vet had given me a sample of Trifexis around the 10th. I did not realize this did not protect against ticks, so I ended up giving him K9 Advantage II a week ago Thursday. How can he have fleas? Am I understanding correctly? The dog has to be bitten for them to die? Doesn't that defeat the purpose? Wouldn't they get into clothes, carpets, etc? I don't want to take fleas back home with us in the morning! I don't know if he picked them up outside or they are in the house. There are lots of dogs here. Should I use a flea collar?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Chances are they were there when you got there. Fleas can live dormant in a larval stage in an empty house for a year. As soon as some living beings enter, they are stimulated to emerge from their larval state by movement (vibrations) and by carbon dioxide that we exhale. And yes, flea eggs and larva get into clothing, bedding, carpets, sofas, cracks in the floor, etc. Ollie will be protected by the meds, the fleas that bite him will die, and they won't lay any eggs, but there's still a chance you could bring some flea eggs home with you from the infestation that's already in the house. :(

[M Kol]

We use Frontline Plus for dogs, prescribed by the vet.  It says it kills fleas, flea eggs & larvae, ticks, & chewing lice. The entire contents of the vial are placed between the shoulder blades for flea and tick control once a month, and it's prescribed per the weight of the dog.  When we got Kona, she was very furry.  The trainer thought she might have fleas - she didn't.We had her shaved down and the groomer did not find any.  So far so good, but time will tell.  It seemed to me after we put the medicine on her it seemed to change her scent very slightly, but perhaps I am being overly sensitive to it because my spouse did not notice it.  The smell was not unpleasant, it kind of just smelled like other dogs, come to think of it.  Prior to that she didn't really have a scent after being shaved, except maybe like fresh shampoo.

The trainer said that the flea control medicine the vet prescribes keeps fleas (and ticks apparently) away from the dog at a six feet radius.  Sounds good to me but I don't know.  He also said not to use a flea collar because it's ineffective and can burn the dog. That said, if you're worried, I don't think it would hurt the dog if you're using it because you're at the beach house and are worried.  Especially if it's until you can consult with your vet.  With our prior dog we did use a flea collar sometimes.  I think it was when we thought she had fleas.  We didn't use it long, and I am not sure whether it was good for her.  But I don't recall her getting burned either.  I think we did take it off because we were concerned for her health, and maybe the children's health, but we did use it for a short time, I think until we could bathe her, take her to the groomer, and maybe the vet.  Since she was indoors mostly I dont think it was a big issue but that was several years ago.

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

First, I am so sorry that you are dealing with this. What a terrible way to end a vacation at the beach. When my daughter's dog had fleas many years ago, I remember that he was bathed in some sort of flea-killing shampoo, plus he was given Capstar. Then, there was lots of vacuuming for a month's time, plus a discussion of using a flea "bomb" in the house to help eradicate them. I don't remember if she actually used that "fogger bomb." She also washed everything that he was near in hot water and did lots of drying in high heat.

I would think that you would want to notify the owners of the house (or your rental agent), regardless of whether the fleas were there before you arrived or if Ollie (doesn't sound likely with him using K9Advantage) brought them there. The owners and any future renters would thank you, plus you might be able to get back some of your rent back. What a drag, sorry, again.